All the latest news from the U23s & U18s from Kirkby…

Kirkby Revisited

Hello and Welcome to Kirkby Revisited, a show where I review all the latest news from Liverpool’s Academy from the past. Some articles may be long, some articles may be short, it all depends on what has happened in that week!

Under 18s beat Stoke

Neil Critchley’s Liverpool Under 18s made it 3 wins out of 5 as his starlets cruised to a 3-1 win over Stoke City at Kirkby. Goals from Tom Brewitt, an own goal and a 3rd goal in 3 starts from the returning Jerome Sinclair ensured that the Reds picked up all 3 points. There was more good news for the Under 18s as they gave a debut to summer signing Sergi Canos, as the former La Masia player finally got international clearance. Also, it baffled me that Ryan Kent and Canos were on the bench, but after seeing the starting XI and the quality in that side, it would be hard to replace any of those players. Despite scoring his 3rd goal in 3 games, Sinclair did in fact miss yet another penalty, the only concern for the promising youngster.LFC XI: Crump, Randall, Maguire, Cleary, Brewitt, Chirivella, Wilson, Phillips, Sinclair, Trickett-Smith, Ojo.

Under 21s draw with Sevilla B

Due to the lack of fixtures in the new format of the Under 21s league, Alex Inglethorpe’s Liverpool Under 21s travelled to Spain to take on a second-string Sevilla side and despite the Spanish side being in control for half of the game, the Reds drew 1-1 thanks to a goal from Kris Peterson, his 3rd goal of the season. They are next in action in December in the U21s Premier League. Due to lack of information, I cannot get you the starting line up but it did include the likes of Martin Kelly, Jon Flanagan and Ryan McLaughlin.Under 21s duo in international action

Liverpool Under 21 wingers Jordon Ibe and Raheem Sterling were both in international action last week. Ibe, who made his first team debut in the 1-0 win over QPR in May played 62 minutes for England 19s in their 4-1 win against Hungary 19s, which would have included Under 18 defender Kristof Polgar if he was not injured.
Also, Under 21 winger Sterling started in England Under 21s match against Finland on Friday and started and scored 2 goals in their 8-0 win over San Marino Under 21s. While discussing Sterling, the forward has been linked with a loan move to Brighton in January, and I for one would love Sterling to get a run of games in a Championship side, and it will hopefully make him a better player in the future.Duo sign new deals

It has been a very busy week for Under 21 players already and that got even busier as Under 21 midfielders Cameron Brannagan and Marc Pelosi signed new deals with the club. It will help Pelosi focus on his rehab from a fractured leg as he can relax after signing a long term deal. It is also a well deserved contract for Brannagan who has scored 3 goals playing in the No.10 position for the Under 21s. Brannagan is also a die-hard Manchester United fan, so it was interesting that he chose to sign a new deal at Liverpool instead of playing football with his hometown club.Ward earns Wales Call-Up

Liverpool Under 21 shot stopper Danny Ward has earned a call-up to the Wales national team for their recent fixture against Finland, a game that ended 1-1. Unsurprisingly, Ward did not feature in the match, but it will be good experience for the goalkeeper, as he becomes the 2nd Liverpool Academy player to join up with the Wales squad this year, as 16 year old Harry Wilson was called up for the 1-1 draw against Belgium.Morgan allowed to leave?

Under 21 forward Adam Morgan has been told by the club that he is allowed to leave on a free, with Championship side Blackburn Rovers interested in the Liverpudlian’s signature. Morgan has been on fine form for the Under 21s this season, which included scoring a sensational 45 yard effort in their 2-0 win over Manchester City Under 21 earlier in the season. It will be a shame if Morgan does leave on a free at least, but after various tweets from his Twitter account, it looks even more likely that he will leave the club in January.Under 18s good run continues…
Liverpool Under 18s made it 6 games undefeated and winning 4 of them as they beat Sunderland 3-1. Jerome Sinclair scored a brace to make in 5 goals from 4 apperances whilst Sheyi Ojo bagged the other goal for Neil Critchley’s side and as a result scored his first goal of the season.

Thanks for taking the time to read this new feature on my blog, and for more content on Liverpool’s Under 21s and Under 18s then simply keep an eye out on the blog http://www.thenextgenkopites.wordpress.com for more content. Finally, for more Academy updates, then be sure to follow me on Twitter (@ScottTaylorUK).